Characterization of TiO ₂ Metal Oxides Nanoparticle Synthesized using Plant Extracts and Fabrication of ‘Solar Cell’ using ITO Glass, TiO ₂, Ruthenium, Graphite and Potassium Iodide

Abstract

A new type of solar cell is fabricated using the eco-friendly nanoscale-material TiO₂. The TiO₂ is prepared using the plant extract. The prepared TiO2 material is characterized using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDXA), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman Spectroscopy. The paste of characterized TiO₂ prepared using the dilute nitric acid is coated on the conductive side of the indium doped tin oxide (ITO) glass using the spin coating technique. The prepared thin film is kept in the Ruthenium solution (photosensitive material) for one night. The ruthenium solution acts as a dye on the TiO2 thin film. Furthermore, on another ITO conductive glass, the graphite is coated known as a counter electrode (cathode). The graphite acts as a catalyst. The pores of these layers are filled with a potassium iodide which acts as a redox electrolyte for Hole transport between photosensitive TiO₂ layer and the counter electrode. The ecofriendly and low-cost solar cell is achieved by the simple overlap of each counter electrode with the back contact of the adjacent photoelectrode.

Keywords: Solar Cell, ITO, TiO2, Green Synthesis